The idea that it might be possible to be overweight or obese but not at increased risk of heart disease, otherwise known as the “obesity paradox”, has been challenged by a study of nearly 300,000 people published in in the European Heart Journal.

A pill combining low doses of three blood pressure-lowering medications significantly increased the number of patients reaching blood pressure targets compared with usual care, researchers reported at the American College of Cardiology’s 67th Annual Scientific Session. There was also no significant increase in adverse effects with the “Triple Pill.”

The combined rate of death from any cause, heart attack or stroke within 18 months was not significantly different in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who were randomly assigned to receive dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for either six months or at least 12 months after receiving a drug-eluting stent. Patients who were given DAPT for only six months, however, had more than double the risk of a heart attack compared with those treated for at least 12 months, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 67th Annual Scientific Session.

After six months of follow up, women newly diagnosed with breast cancer who were given the beta blocker carvedilol to prevent heart issues while undergoing chemotherapy showed no difference in declines in heart function compared with those taking a placebo. Patients who took carvedilol, however, were significantly less likely to have an elevated marker in the blood that signals injury to the heart, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 67th Annual Scientific Session.\

Treatment with dabigatran significantly reduced the risk of death, heart attack, stroke and other heart or blood-vessel complications among patients who were at elevated risk for these events because of heart damage that occurred after major noncardiac surgery, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 67th Annual Scientific Session.

In the first randomized controlled trial to evaluate a treatment for myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery (MINS), researchers found that patients treated with dabigatran twice daily were 28 percent less likely to die, have a heart attack or stroke, develop blood clots or need an amputation due to cardiovascular disease, compared with patients who received a placebo.

Getting a large dose of a statin did not have an impact on major adverse cardiac events among a broad population of patients slated to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in a trial being presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 67th Annual Scientific Session. However, statins did significantly reduce the rates of such events among the subset of trial participants who actually underwent PCI.

TheSynapse Videos

Highlights

Saint James Hospital is currently seeking to recruit Resident Medical Officers (Full Time or Part Time). Interested candidates are to send a CV together with a covering letter to vacancy@stjameshospital.com